White feathers are generally used for this color, but all light
colors can be made a beautiful shade of pink by first bleaching with
permanganate of potash. After washing and rinsing thoroughly in luke
warm water, soap to remove all loose dirt and grease, or bleaching, if
required. Prepare bath as follows: Take one gallon of luke warm water,
more or less, according to the quantity of feathers you have to dye add
a small handful of starch. Enter your feathers and rub around between
the hands thoroughly to open the flues so as to insure an even shade;
add a couple of drops of diluted safranine to bath. Enter feathers,
and let them remain in the bath about one minute, or until feathers
look about two shades darker than sample; gently stirring them around
in bath meanwhile, and keeping them under the surface. Remove from
bath, squeeze and dry in the usual way, rubbing them in dry powdered
starch, and beat them out on a clean board or between the hands to
remove all particles which might adhere. Should your sample that you
have to match be a little on the yellowish order, a drop of diluted
Bismarck brown added to bath will bring the desired shade; or if a very
brilliant shade or rose pink, a drop of diluted violet added to the
bath and increase temperature; a little judgment is always necessary;
as, for example, should you require a dark shade, you would naturally
let your goods remain longer in the bath than the time specified in
recipe, or add a little more color, and if a very pale pink is wanted,
less time and color should be used. Should you, at any time, find your
color, after being dried, a couple of shades darker than your sample,
rinse goods in luke warm water, and enter feathers, pass through for a
minute, and dry.